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A stitch in time ... : Comments
By Valerie Yule, published 25/6/2009The return of thrift: we need to change back to a society of menders, repairers and reusers.
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Sure, people in Aged Care Homes know about thrift. They are from the Great Depression, but do you forget about those others of us, who are much YOUNGER than that? For example, I am from that unrecognised group who is sandwiched between 'Baby Boomers' and 'Gen-Y-Bother'.
My parents were 'pre-BB', and themselves knew about thrift. They taught me. The Baby Boomers were living it up, a few years ahead of me, and when I came along, all the resources were being 'tightened up'. For example, I had to pay for my university education. No free education for me. Had to pay HECS. Worked full-time while studying part-time, so could pay it 'up front'. Now along come the 'Gen-Y-Bother', with the attitude that thrift is irrelevant and everyone else will do the hard work, so the 'Gen-Y's'can be the CEOs with no previous experience. We can see how that is working.
So - have you noticed - the gap between the rich and poor is widening? And where do you think the majority of those in the middle are going? Downwards. There is a larger number of those with much less, for quite a few years now. They are not in Aged Care Homes. They are the large (read:not minority), faceless, speechless group of people who can't afford to live in the cities, some live on the outskirts, some in the country, who attend events like garage sales. Take a look, Fractelle. Go to one of these events and look around. That group is growing, despite the efforts of the Govt to keep it minimised. OK, so that demographic is also aging; but then so is the population at large. But - we are not all in Aged Care Homes. Some are in their late 40s. Not THAT old, last time I looked.